


Perfection Incomplete

by Caresklaus



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alive Hayley Marshall, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ancient Witches Are Up To No Good, Angst, Baby Hope Mikaelson, Child Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Magical Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Moms Deserve More, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Caroline Forbes, Parent Klaus Mikaelson, Parenthood, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vampire Caroline Forbes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:02:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26788654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caresklaus/pseuds/Caresklaus
Summary: Caroline Forbes and Hayley Marshall have had their share of Perfection Incomplete.Inspired by Small Bump by Tears of Ebon-Grey on Fanfiction.net
Relationships: Caroline Forbes & Hayley Marshall, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall & Hope Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall/Klaus Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. A-side, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is appreciated

Caroline wasn't 100% sure what they should do about the Travellers. And some part of her didn't truly care.

In her defense, there was always _some_ _thing_. Always!

It was almost as if there was a forcefield of horribleness surrounding Mystic Falls. All drama centered around the town and its inhabitants. More specifically, drama mainly happened to the descendants of the founders of Mystic Falls. The more she thought about it, the stranger she felt...

It was a cycle that went a little something like this.

First, a random, hugely dangerous threat would appear out of thin air! Afterward, they would, by the grace of all things merciful, solve that issue. Then somehow, someway, one of her friends- mainly Elena- would draw even more attention to their whole group and the whole ordeal would begin again!

The last major ordeal they had to deal with was the Mikaelson family. Now that those old heads were gone, they were dealing with The Travellers. It was just too much.

Not to mention, whenever they were faced with a new opponent, there was obviously a hierarchy of command. Those in charge of making (dumb) decisions were usually Damon and Stefan. Next, for whatever reason, was Elena. Caroline and Bonnie were next and totally interchangeable. Humans and werewolves seemed to be even lower.

It left Caroline thinking _"_ _how could Elena be so high up in command when she's the cause of most iss_ _ues?"_

The blonde would give her opinion and it almost never mattered. It was to the point where Caroline just sat on the sidelines and accepted whatever role she was given. Usually a martyr in some way, shape, or form.

More and more, though, Caroline felt like she needed extra time to reenergize. As of late, she's been easily winded and just as easily nauseous. Whenever she popped up too suddenly or walked past a restaurant, a strange sense of vertigo overwhelmed her.

It was enough for her to insist on taking smaller roles in group plots. She'd play into the stereotype of a ditzy blonde so she wouldn't have to move around as much. But, no more could she play the martyr when she could barely play her normal self!

That's why now Caroline found herself soaking in her bathtub. The warm water did its job at soothing her aching joints. She slid lower into the water so it would cover more of her. Her legs were bent and the nape of her neck was soaked. The steam rising from the water clouded the bathroom; the walls and mirrors now slick with droplets of water. The heat surrounding her would've been overwhelming if not for the loosing of her joints.

Caroline's slid lower and could literally feel pressure leaving her body. It was heaven.

Her breathing and the bath faucet leaking were the only sounds echoing throughout the bathroom. Minutes passed and she swore she could have fallen asleep then. Until-

"Gah!"

Caroline lurched upwards with a gasp. There was a sharp, deep pain from within her abdomen. Water sloshed over the rim of the porcelain tub, but she could care less.

She cried out again and scrambled to lift herself up. Supporting her left arm against the porcelain edge, she turned sideways. Her teeth were bared as she managed to tuck her legs underneath herself.

"Ah! Oh my g-", Caroline yelled. As she pulled herself into a kneeling position and she supported the body with her right arm. With her head bowed and her eyes screwed shut, she did her best to calm herself. Loud inhales of air hollowed her cheeks.

Another wave of cramps hit her and her right arm gave out. She fell shoulders first into the bathwater. The cramps were back to back and she would have sworn there was a 10,000-pound man sitting on top her. Caroline gasped for breath, but instead of inhaling air, she inhaled water.

Gasping and choking on water, she managed to push up on her right arm again but distributed the weight by using her left as well. Hair stuck to her forehead as she lifted her head for a proper breath.

A few seconds passed where nothing happened. Her knees and palms dug into the hardness of the tub as she continued to kneel. Chest heaving up and down, arms still shaking as they do their best to support her.

Caroline took a moment to gather her thoughts, to wrap her brain around what just happened. Her brows pulled together in pure confusion. She questioned her sanity and whether anything had happened at all.

The warmth rising from below her contrasted with the coolness covering her back. The water settled once more and once again the only sounds present were her breathing and the dripping of the faucet. There was a sort of deafness in the air, her head and ears ringing with confusion.

Just when she thought it was alright to move again, another cramp left her writhing.

Her mouth snapped shut and so did her eyes. She screamed into the bathroom as the lower half of her body starting constricting. She felt something...moving.

This time, the cramps didn't allow her to recover. Her forehead went just past the surface of the bathwater as she submitted into a downward dog position.

"H-help!"

But the house was empty and her phone was in her bedroom. There was no way she could trample through this agony to go get it. Caroline wasn't sure how long it lasted but the whole time she was so afraid and so confused.

* * *

Eventually, the pain had ended and left her a heaving, crying mess within the bathtub. The water had been left cold and bloodied.

There was a trail of water leading to her bed, where she stood now. There was still a weight between her thighs she found hard to ignore.

The sun was lowering and she knew she couldn't stand there forever. Even though she didn't have to worry about her mother returning home anytime soon, she felt like she should wrap the child up.

If you could even call it that. It was so tiny and frail-looking; the size of a healthy avocado. She was afraid to touch it, afraid of how well it fits in the palm of her hand.

It was chilly in her room and her wet body did little to fight against it. Unconsciously, she moved to the small closet just outside of her bedroom door. Caroline looked over her options, trying to determine which towel was softest. It occurred to her then that it didn't matter. Because the child was-

She knew quite well how to swaddle a baby and did so efficiently. Once finished, her hand ran down the length of its body in one, smooth motion. It was so small.

Her eyes blurred and tears fell unprompted. How could she not know? How did she go so long unaware of what was happening within her own body?

* * *

Caroline kneeled in front of the headstone. The lifted dirt shifted around her knees, leaving her jeans soiled. Her hands hung at her side, rifting through the raised soil. She smoothed her palm back and forth. The movement was soothing, distracting almost.

Her appearance was neither attractive nor revolting. She no longer went the extra mile to doll herself up every morning, but she also hadn't stopped her daily routine. She found that having a daily routine somewhat gave her a purpose.

_An Angel Retur_ _ned Too Soon_

_Elliot_ _Forbes-Mikaelson_

_November_ _2011_

There were no words to describe her life now. There was this...hollow ache within her that reminded her of her constant failure. The ache thudded against her chest in a way that mimicked a heartbeat.

Caroline wasn't sure how long she had been out there, in this stale neck of the forest.

This area of woods was no special thing. The animals seemed scarce in these parts as there were no sounds that suggested life. There were weeds everywhere and the length of the grass surrounding her was patchy.

She fisted the dirt beneath her, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to dig that tiny person up. She'd spent plenty of time staring at that little face; with his tiny nose and translucent closed eyes. But...but...

_But what if I for_ _get? What if I for_ _get what he looks like? Maybe I should just hold him for a bit longer...just to memorize the details of his face again._

Caroline sighed and fisted the dirt more deeply. It was unreasonable, she knew. Her memory allowed her to recall every perfect detail about her boy. There's no way she could ever forget. She knew the true reason for wanting to unearth him.

She craved his touch. Even though he would never reciprocate it, it was enough. It was more than enough to hold his cool, pliable body in her hands as she marveled at the size of him.

_How could_ _something_ _i_ _ncomp_ _lete_ _be so perfect?_

Her eyes slid close. It took everything within her to stop shaking, to stop crying. Caroline's body bowed forward and she rested her forehead on the bed of soil before her. The dirt within her grip fell away as she wept.

So much pain and heartache for a love she never got to meet.


	2. B-side, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> B-side; Hayley experiences perfection.

On May 2, 2012, Hayley Marshall welcomed her baby into the world. For such a beautiful moment, there was no time to enjoy it.

So many mothers weren't blessed to make it through childbirth, but she was. And yet...she was only granted a few seconds of joy before she'd been slaughtered.

Hayley's body was growing cold as she laid on the altar within that church.

Her palms curled in on themselves as she tried to recall the touch of her daughter. She was so warm, soft, and wiggly. Her little body was firm and full of curiosity.

The thoughts of her child died with her. Flashes of that tiny skull pressed against the palm of her hand brought her so much joy.

From her head to her nose. Those little feet that kicked as she was held by her mother. Her lips and brows were twisted in confused before they settled into a peaceful state. That short moment of holding her angel was _every_ _thing_.

All the bickering and drama that lead up to this moment seemed worthless. She regrets not spending more time admiring her belly.

Being impregnated by Klaus wasn't the most ideal situation, but he would be a wonderful father. It would take some time, but Hayley was positive Klaus would do anything t o keep their baby safe.

She was fading. Black spots seeping into her vision told her that much.

In those final moments, she didn't reminisce over her life; her youth. Hayley didn't care about the partying and fun she would kiss out on. She didn't care about the milestones she was going to miss. She didn't even think much of Elijah.

As much as she loved him...she couldn't bring herself to worry about him. He'd be in pain, but he's immortal. He'd heal, eventually.

It was that beautiful bundle of joy that stayed on her mind. She hadn't even chosen a name for her yet, but Hayley could tell she was perfect.

As she choked on her blood, all she could think was:

_How could a moment incomplete feel so perfect?_

Her eyes slid close. The last breath her body would ever take was released. The screaming of Klaus and the crying of her angel was fading away. There was regret in her heart, only sorrow.

So much pain and heartache for a love she'd never see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated.


End file.
